ENGL 1102: Nature's Rhetoric

@nitya_tarakad That seems fair

@Nature_Rhetoric To answer the question, “Does T go to the jungle to die?”, I believe that the answer is no. However, T does go to the jungle to get some sort of cleanse. I feel like he wants to know why he’s lost everyone he loves, and he wants to feel the love he’s lost again.

It is funny how T reads about John Wesley's quote "no qualms...shld stand in the way... of a man who wished to amass great wealth" in college when previously, T used to basically steal when he was a child. Maybe it was used to provide some closure? @Nature_Rhetoric

When T's mother explains why "the Blessed Mother was sad because she was gone", it looks as though she is trying to tell T that she was also like Mary. I believe T starts to understand his mother and why she acts the way she does at this point. @Nature_Rhetoric

@Nature_Rhetoric the fact that the book ended in the wilderness while the beginning of the book took place in the comfort of civilization really shows the character arc of T. and how he views the world.

@Jwevans218 @Nature_Rhetoric It seems almost reminiscent of T's earlier fascination with the zoo animals. Perhaps he had not had the opportunity to see jaguars in the zoo and wished to see them in their natural habitat. Regardless, I feel that was just a way to set up the journey at the end of the novel.

@Nature_Rhetoric Just as the radio, television, and video platforms revolutionized storytelling, I believe the next step maybe virtual reality. This piece offers great insight on how the art of story telling can adapt to this new medium. futureofstorytelling.org/video/saschka-…

@Nature_Rhetoric The issue with the argument that Zoo's promote the conservation of endangered species is that there isn't much evidence to show awareness actually equates to action in the general public. Similarly, captive breeding has little effect on re-population in the wild.

@bolger_ian7 @Nature_Rhetoric I love the Aquarium's rescue stories. For example, they found sea lions wrapped in trash and saved them from starvation and death. They kept them in the Aquarium and on display for a little but then left them back on the wild, like T's elephants could only wish for.

@ppsaltakis_1102 @Nature_Rhetoric I agree that in-person peer review works better than through an electronic medium. Nowadays, we are becoming so advanced with technology that we forget the simple ways that always worked. In-person works better since we can ask questions and receive thorough, direct feedback.

@Nature_Rhetoric That idea also raises the question in my mind whether any human should be in charge of making decisions to move animals around the world. Maybe the solution is not trying to control things around us but to learn living with them without disturbing it...

@Nature_Rhetoric As we seperate the industrial world from nature more, we destroy more and try to benefit ourselves around it. I believe even the idea of humans having a taste of nature is selfish considering we are only a tiny part of a gigantic ecosystem...

@Nature_Rhetoric Over the couple of weeks, I have seen different arguments around zoos and wanted share my thoughts. I believe zoos are only an illusion of what we cannot do with our concrete floors. They do not offer incorporation of animals into our lives.

@Nature_Rhetoric I guess this is partially because they havent been on the planned site yet and it is much harder to discuss a planned scenery without having any actual footage. Still think that evaluation of any video aspect over the script will give the project a deeper meaning

@Nature_Rhetoric The script was also centered around the argument parts and breif descriptions of the video aspect was given. I believe exploring further upon the descriptions of video footage in the script would really help making the project a whole.

@Nature_Rhetoric While the baseball game really helps to cover the idea of parks bringing people together, I would really liked to see more descriptions of the footage that is planned to showed at that part. Finding some historical pictures or playing baseball can be good ideas.

@Nature_Rhetoric the script I have read was sufficiently identifying their argument, which is 'Piedmont Park Conservancy helps connects citizens with nature more'. I really liked the inclusion of the face that Georgia Tech played its first baseball game in Piedmont!

@Nature_Rhetoric In the final paragraphs, T shows his perspective shift when he is shown to believe that the animal doesn't "need to have plans" for the future and that the "feel of others" was enough. As a boy T meticulously planned for the future but now he lives in the moment.

@Nature_Rhetoric T empathizes with the elephants in the zoo. Elephants are very social animals in their natural habitat. When T is surrounded by others, he tends to be social too. But, when they are both in non-natural areas, they are isolated, and T relates because of that.

@Nature_Rhetoric I don’t think that there was an animal resting on T’s chest at the end of the novel. I interpreted it as him finally understanding that he was never in isolation — there was always someone who loved him him (his mom). He just found out a little too late.